Lifter.



'PATENTED DEC! 11, 1906.

W. P. MORROW.

LIFTER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY11.1906.

WZzTamr/mz INVENTOR.

WITNESSES.-

A TTORNE Y5 'WILLIAM 1. MORROW, OF VVOODWARD, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

LIFTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed May 11, 1906. Serial No. 316.373.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM P. Monnow, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVoodward, in the county of Woodward and Territory of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Lifter, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a lifter for taking hold of hot stove-plates, culinary articles, and the like.

It has for its object to provide a device of this character which is of simple, inexpensive, and substantial construction and capable of firmly taking hold of any article to be lifted.

To this end the invention comprises the various details of construction and arrangement of parts, to be more fully described hereinafter and finally set forth in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the lifter, showing the same used for lifting a stoveplate. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the lifter employed for holding a pan, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the parts hanging in their inoperative position.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the handle of the lifter, which is preferably made of cast metal, and at the front end thereof are arranged two jaw members 2 and 3. The jaw member 2 is provided with a jaw 41, that cooperates wlth the jaw 5 for gripping a pan, pot, or other culinary utensil, and extending outwardly from the aw 4 is a nose 6 for engaging the lifter-hole in a stove-plate.

The jaw member 2 is pivoted to the jaw member 3 at 7, while the latter member is pivoted to the handle 1 at 8. The rear end of the member 3 is bifurcated, and the front end of the handle is provided with a tongue 9, that is disposed between the arms of the bifurcated portion and is held in, place by the pivot 8. Extending from the center portion of the jaw member 2 is a lug 11, that extends into a slot 12 in the lower jaw member 3 and is connected to said member by the pivot 7. Extending rearwardly from the lug 1 1 is an extension 13, which is accessible to the thumb when the lifter is used. Besides acting as a thumb-piece, this extension abuts the tongue of the handle and serves to hold the parts of the lifter rigid when a stove-plate is lifted, as shown in Fig. 1. When in this position, the end of the tongue 9, which is shouldered, as shown in Fig. 3, engages a correspondingly-shouldered portion on the jaw member 3. By means of these shouldered portions engaging each other the jaw member 3 is prevented from collaps ing or swinging back on the pivot 8 when the lifter is turned half over from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 1. The member 3 is thus held rigid with respect to the handle and supports the jaw member 2, wlnch member 2 by means of the extension 13, engaging the tongue 9, is prevented from collapsing. The front end of the tongue 9 extends a sufficient distance forwardly from the pivot 8 to act as a wiper for tilting the jaw member 2 when the jaws 4 and 5 are adapted to grip any article to be lifted.

To lift a pan, pot, or other culinary article, the lifter is turned so that the jaws extend downwardly, as shown in Fig. 2. The thumb is then placed on the extension 13 of the jaw member 2 and depressed. This causes the jaw members to move to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2. With the parts still held in this position the jaws are inserted over the rim of the pan to be lifted, and then the thumb is removed so as to permit the jaw members to tilt on their respective pivots, and thus grip the pan. When the user proceeds to lift the pan by means of the lifter, the front end of the tongue bears against the extension 12 of the jaw member 2 and causes the jaw thereof to grip more tightly the pan. In other words, the weight of the pan in addition to that of the .j aw members causes the said members to tilt about the pivot 8, and thus raise the front of the tongue harder against the extension 13, which in turn acts through the jaw member 2 and causes the pan to be firmly gripped. The heavier article being lifted the greater is this gripping effect. When the pan is tobe set down, the thumb is again placed on the extension 13 and the latter depressed, so as to disengage the jaws.

From the above description it will be observed that the device comprises a single handle adapted to set the jaws of the lifter and supports the j aw members in such a way that they are rigidly held when a stove-plate is lifted, so that there is no danger of the latter being accidentally dropped.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A lifter comprising a handle having a tongue, a jaw member pivoted on said tongue near the handle, the free end of said tongue extended forward and positioned to engage and stop the jaw member from swinging on its pivot on one side of the longitudinal center of the handle although leaving it free to swing on the opposite side thereof, a second jaw member pivoted between its ends to said first jaw member at a point between the free end of said first jaw member and the point engaged by said tongue, the rear of said second jaw member extending over and beyond said tongue on the side thereof opposite said first jaw member and adapted to be engaged by said tongue to move the free or jaw ends of said jaw members toward each other into gripping relation to clasp and pick up varlous ob ects, a nose extendlng from said second aw member on the side opposite said both jaw members are held rigid with the handle while lifting a stove-lid.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM P. MORROW.

Witnesses:

BERTHA GEIsMoR, WM. V. SHY. 

